Henderson has not lost since joining the UFC in 2011 as part of the
World Extreme Cagefighting merger. The 29-year-old
MMA Lab representative captured the lightweight title from
Frankie
Edgar at UFC 144 in February, successfully defended it in his
rematch with “The Answer” six months later and cemented his place
as MMA’s 155-pound alpha male with a unanimous verdict over
Nate
Diaz in December.

Melendez is regarded by many as one of the sport’s top
pound-for-pound talents, despite never having competed in the UFC.
The 30-year-old Californian has avenged the only two defeats of his
career and will enter his Octagon debut on the strength of a
seven-fight winning streak. Melendez last fought at Strikeforce
“Barnett vs. Cormier” in May, when he earned a split decision over
rival Josh Thomson
and retained his lightweight crown.